


A Hogwarts Family Christmas

by Taran40



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:38:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5213060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taran40/pseuds/Taran40
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus buys someone a Teddy Bear. Yes, this is somewhat OCC, but it's a fun, sweet story anyhow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Hogwarts Family Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> NOTES: Part of the Slash Advent Calendar at http://www.kardasi.com/Advent/2003
> 
> A/N: Thank you to Sher and Goldenpaw for beta-ing for me again. You ladies are wonderful!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: *sigh* Not mine. Some nasty, ugly, brilliant woman by the name of J.K. Rowling owns the whole Harry Potter universe. I'm just borrowing for a while, and then I'll send it all back only slightly warped.

~*~*~*~

 

I hate Christmas. I hate it with a passion. I hate all holidays, but Christmas and Valentine's Day are the worst. I sneer and snarl, and yet, I'm still forced to endure hundreds of 'Happy Christmas' or 'Happy Valentine's Day' greetings. I am not happy and I wish people would just accept that!

Those holidays only serve to remind me of how alone I am. I have no family to go home to, nor friends I would want to celebrate with. Everything I have is right here, in this cold stone school. The only pleasure I have during the Winter Solstice is seeing how the children light up, but even that will be dimmed this year.

Many of the students in my own house were orphaned last year in the final battle against Voldemort. There will be so many more remaining at the school than there ever were before. They won't be lighting up like Muggle Christmas trees this year. It will be especially hard on the younger ones. Little Sandra Wilkes lost her entire family to the war before she even started school. She's a beautiful child, but so lonely. 

Having so many students remain will be bothersome. Normally I could wish away the holiday wallowing in my private chambers with a bottle of old Scotch. This year I will have to remain sober, at least most of the time, to patrol the halls and keep the little devils out of trouble.

My only comfort is that at least I won't have to deal with Potter this year. He is the youngest, and admittedly, best Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Hogwarts has ever had. He's not at master status yet, but will be within just a couple of years. Now that his infernal godfather has returned from the Veil, Potter will be spending the holiday with him.

~*~*~*~

 

Severus Snape was finally able to relax his mind as he thought about Potter leaving for the holiday. He drifted off into a restful sleep for the first time in months. A full vial of Dreamless Sleep Potion helped.

He awoke on the first day of Winter Solstice feeling relieved. Many of the students would be leaving that morning, as well as much of the staff. Over the next two weeks, he could spend the days avoiding everyone and the nights patrolling the halls. The only obligation that he had was to be at one meal a day in the Great Hall, and to be there for the Christmas Eve supper. The headmaster knew asking any more than that from his potions master was futile.

Severus snarled at the students rushing through the halls saying last minute goodbyes to those staying behind. He groaned when he saw Potter sitting at the head table in the Great Hall, but reminded himself that Potter would be leaving shortly.

He sat as his usual seat, which, annoyingly, happened to be next to the one Potter had taken over at the beginning of the year. 

"Good morning, Severus."

Severus fought down a growl at the brat's use of his given name. "Good morning, Harry," he ground out between clenched teeth. "Shouldn't you be leaving?"

"No, I'm staying here for Christmas," Potter said casually, not noticing the groan Severus swallowed with his tea.

"I thought you'd be spending it with your godfather."

"No, he and Remus decided to go on a vacation this year. I didn't want to be a third wheel, so I'm staying here."

Severus turned his head and cursed too quietly for Potter to hear. With his head turned in the direction of his house table, he caught sight of Sandra Wilkes crying as several sixth year Slytherin boys stood around her laughing. His eyes flashed as the anger grew from the pit of his stomach and into his throat.

"Excuse me," he growled as he rose from his chair. He couldn't hear what the boys were saying, but he knew they were taunting her, calling her a cry baby and what not. She was overly sensitive and did cry easily, but their teasing only made it so much worse.

Severus quietly stepped up behind the boys, who were too wrapped up in their taunting to notice his approach. 

"Is there a problem here?" Severus yelled menacingly, enjoying how the boys jumped and froze in place.

"No -no- Ssir," one of the boys stuttered. "We were -we were only saying goodbye."

"Ah, yes, goodbye, have a safe trip," Severus said, gesturing for the boys to exit, which they did at a run.

Severus looked down at his young charge. She was sitting with her hands clasped in her lap, her head bent forward with tears streaking her cheeks. She was sniffling and hiccupping, but Severus could see she was trying to be brave. His heart melted for her as he kneeled down and place a warm hand over hers.

"Don't let them bother you, Miss Wilkes," he said softly. "And, enjoy the next two weeks of peace and quiet." Severus gave her a rare smile, his eyes shining.

She sniffled again and looked into his eyes. Severus could see the appreciation that lit them up and as she returned his smile, he felt his heart swell. This was why he had remained a teacher, even after Voldemort's defeat and he was no longer obligated to do it. As much as he hated to let on, Severus loved the children. Ones like Sandra Wilkes made it possible to endure the ones like Harry Potter.

Severus gave her hand a little squeeze before returning to his seat, not having noticed the pair of emerald eyes that had watched his every move and smiled when he did. He pointedly ignored Potter through the rest of the meal.

~*~*~*~

The next day, as he made his way through the dungeon for lunch, Severus was stopped by the sounds of crying. He turned a corner that led to the Slytherin dorms and found Sandra Wilkes once again crying. He sighed, not really being in the mood to be sentimental, but there really wasn't anyone else to give the child comfort.

She was sitting cross-legged, her hands wringing together in her lap. He sat down next to the small eleven year old girl and stretched out his long legs, crossing them at the ankle and leaned back on his arms.

"Good morning," he greeted her casually. 

She looked up at him with red-rimmed, sad eyes as she wiped her nose on the sleeve of her robe. She muttered a greeting as she looked back down at her hands. She didn't want to meet his eyes.

"Lovely day for a sit-down, isn't it," he said, still feigning a casual air.

"I guess," Sandra said with a shrug.

Severus sighed. It was time to get to the point. "All right, what's wrong?" he said as he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"It's nothing."

"If it were nothing, you wouldn't be crying." Severus turned to look at her.

"It's just..." she sniffled again. "I miss my family and I have no friends and no one to talk to here," she said in a rush, the tears starting again.

"No one to talk to?" Severus asked with mock indignation. "What am I? A hippogriff?"

"Oh, no, sir! I didn't mean it like that!"

Severus smiled at her. "I know what you meant. I've often felt the same way around here."

"Really?" Sandra asked wiping her nose again on her sleeve.

"Oh, yes," Severus responded kindly, wiping her tears with his thumb. "Everyone feels lonely sometime, but you're not alone, Sandra. I'll always be here for you."

"Really?" She smiled up at him and melted his heart.

"Really. I know it's not the same as having friends your own age, but I'll always listen whenever you need to talk, or cry, or even scream."

Her smile grew brighter as she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He, somewhat awkwardly, patted her back, smiling in a way he hadn't done in years. He never noticed the silent figure hiding in the shadows at the end of the hall, watching and smiling with him.

"Come on," Severus said as he stood up, "let's go see if there's anything edible for lunch today."

Meals during the holiday tended to consist of mostly sweet treats for the kids and had very little of the typical nutrition of everyday meals. As they approached the shadows at the end of the hall, Severus was looking straight ahead and didn't see Sandra smile and wave, nor the smile that was returned to her.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Severus was pacing around his office, cursing at the top of his voice and throwing things. Potter had just left after they had gotten into yet another heated argument. It seemed to happen at least once a week since the young man had started on as DADA Professor.

Potter had come to talk to him about Lupin's Wolfsbane Potion, which was bad enough. Severus knew exactly when the potion was needed and certainly didn't require a reminder from Harry Bloody Potter. The worst of it was, that somehow, they had ended up arguing over the young man's godfather. Severus didn't even know how that had started, but he had finished it by telling Potter, in no uncertain terms, to get the hell out of his dungeons and never come back.

As an empty vial crashed against the wall, a small voice interrupted a long string of curses that would make even the denizens of Knockturn Alley blush.

"Professor?" Sandra Wilkes called out timidly.

Severus whirled around to face her, his eyes still blazing and nostrils flaring. When he saw the fear on her face, he closed his eyes and clenched his fists, trying to rein in his anger.

"Yes, Miss Wilkes?" he asked in a falsely calm voice.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine."

"What's wrong, sir?" she asked as she stepped farther into the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"Nothing," Severus said, gradually calming down.

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be mad."

Severus glared at her, trying desperately not to smile as she tossed his own words back at him. He stopped trying when she grinned at his effort. He snickered as he sat on a chair in front of his desk and motioned for her to take the other.

"So, really, what's wrong? Why are you so mad?" Sandra asked as she sat next him. Severus growled a little, but didn't start talking. "You made me talk when I didn't want to!"

He sighed and looked at her. She was very sincere about wanting him to talk so he dropped his shoulders and started.

"Potter. Potter makes me mad."

She looked confused. "But, Professor Potter is so nice. He talks to me all the time. He's an orphan too, you know. We talk about that a lot. He makes it so I don't miss my family quite as much."

Severus looked at her in surprise. He hadn't realized that Potter had been talking to her. She was Slytherin, which meant most teachers wouldn't take the time to try to talk to her or give her comfort.

"Professor Potter and you are my only friends here. What does he do to make you so mad?"

"What doesn't he do?" Severus asked as he got out of his chair and began pacing the room. "He's constantly getting into trouble, even as a teacher. He contradicts me at every staff meeting, blatantly favouring Gryffindors. He follows me around constantly. He reminds me of potions I have to brew, when he knows damned well, that I know what I'm doing!" Severus' voice rose as he spoke until he was yelling once again.

He stopped in mid-pace as laughter rang in his ears. He looked back at Sandra as she continued to laugh.

"What is so amusing?" he asked icily.

"He likes you!"

"Don't be absurd!"

"He does! And you like him, too."

"Now, you're just being ridiculous. I most certainly do NOT like Harry Potter!"

"Yes, you do," she said with a big grin. "You wouldn't get so upset if you didn't."

Severus growled at the young girl. She obviously hadn't heard a word he said. He did NOT like Potter. Never did, never would. Oh, yes, he could admit that the man was attractive, and he did have some charms, like in the way he smiled. Severus could even admit to appreciating the fact that Harry was helping one of his own students. That certainly didn't mean that he LIKED the obnoxious brat.

"He follows you to be with you, and he talks about potions just to talk to you." Sandra wasn't giving up.

"You're fantasizing, Sandra. He doesn't like me. No one likes me."

"That's not true!" she said indignantly. "I like you!"

"Yes, but I've brainwashed you," Severus kidded.

"No, you haven't!" she laughed. "I've seen the good in you, and so has Professor Potter. So have a lot of other people, even if YOU haven't." She got off the chair and left before Severus could think of a scathing remark. He glared and sneered at the door half heartedly. He really didn't want to think about what she said as the truth. It would mean totally rethinking his feelings for Harry, er... Potter.

~*~*~*~

 

The next morning, cool green eyes watched Severus leave the castle, headed for Hogsmeade for some last minute shopping. Harry sighed as he watched Severus move gracefully over the snow, before turning his back to the window and wandering down to the Great Hall for a late breakfast.

He was a little surprised to find Sandra Wilkes was the only one present at the time. He sat next to her and smiled pleasantly.

"Good morning, Sandra."

"Good morning, Professor Potter." Harry was happy to note the smile that reached her eyes. She hadn't been happy much lately, missing her family terribly, so it was heart warming to see her smile with enthusiasm. 

"How are you, today?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Have you seen Professor Snape this morning?"

"He just left. I think he was headed to Hogsmeade." 

"Oh. I was just wondering how he was feeling today."

"Why? Is something wrong?" he asked with concern.

"Well, he was a bit upset about the argument you two had last night," she said casually as she continued eating.

Harry was shocked. He didn't think anything he could say would have any effect on the man.

"Oh. Was he?" Harry tried to sound indifferent.

"Um hmm," she replied with her mouth full of toast.

"Well, I'm sure he's over it by now," Harry commented as he dug into the plate of food that appeared in front of him.

"Maybe."

Harry's mind started racing over the argument from last night. He couldn't remember saying anything that hadn't been said before. They argued about Harry reminding Severus about the Wolfsbane. He knew he shouldn't have used that as a ploy to talk to the Potions Master, but couldn't come up with any other excuse to talk to him when he'd found himself knocking on the man's door.

Talking about Remus had led into talking about Sirius. Harry understood Severus' dislike for the man, but he couldn't just let Severus say nasty things about him. Sirius was his godfather, after all. That had led into the worst of the argument. They began yelling, neither willing to back down, while Harry really just wanted to shut the man up with a big kiss.

Harry still couldn't understand his attraction to the dark, mysteriously handsome man. It had started in Harry's final year of school and carried on through graduation. He began seeing little things that Severus tried to hide. Things such as his compassion for the students, especially the younger ones, and his well hidden appreciation for small, furry creatures. 

That last one, Harry had discovered quite by accident when he'd stumbled to Hagrid's hut one evening while the half giant was away tending to some creature in the Forbidden Forest. Harry was having trouble sleeping, so he had decided to go check on the puppies Hagrid's new black lab had had just a few weeks prior. He wore his cloak so as not to be discovered roaming outside the school late at night, and stole quietly up to the little hut.

As he was reaching for the door handle, he heard a loud laugh coming from inside. Harry knew it couldn't be Hagrid, but had no idea who else the protective dog would have allowed in. He peaked in a window and saw Severus Snape sitting on the floor, the five pups and their mother, crawling and climbing all over the normally ridged man, who was laughing like a little boy.

Harry had stepped back from the window, blinking rapidly in shock. He couldn't believe he had just seen Snape playing with a bunch of puppies. He looked back again, before shaking his head and wandering slowly back to his dorm, lost in thought.

Harry asked Hagrid about the unusual scene when he returned a couple of days later. Hagrid secretively informed him that Severus had been there with the pups every night since they had been born. He made Harry promise not to tell anyone about it, or Severus would stop coming. Harry had promised with all his heart. He didn't want Severus to give up something that he obviously loved for any reason.

He was brought back to the present by Sandra's chair scraping across the floor as she rose to leave. He gave her a bright smile, then finished his breakfast before returning to his rooms.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Severus groaned before he even opened his eyes. It was Christmas Eve. The presents would be handed out at the evening meal to all the staff and students that had remained. He didn't mind Sandra opening her gift in front of everyone. He addressed it from 'Santa'. It was Potter's gift he was concerned with. Would he like it? Would he know it was from him?

He groaned again as he crawled out of bed. He spent the day locked in his private lab, brewing useless, and often botched, potions, trying not to think about Potter's reaction to the gift. For the most part, the day dragged on far too slowly, but then, the supper hour approached much too quickly.

Severus had to force himself to put away his ingredients and prepare for the evening. He drew a deep, calming breath before pushing open the doors to the Great Hall. He was immediately assaulted by loud Christmas Carols and flashing lights from a huge tree in the middle of the room. Tables laden with sweets surrounded the tree.

Severus claimed the empty seat next to Albus, even though there was no structured seating on Christmas Eve. From there he could see both Sandra and Harry. Albus gave his usual Christmas greeting and the feast began. Severus was too nervous to really eat anything, and without realizing it, he found himself eating more chocolate than anything else.

As the meal finally drew to a close, Albus once again called for everyone's attention. His eyes twinkled merrily as he played Santa, passing out the numerous gifts to students and staff. Severus was the Santa behind Santa at Hogwarts. He was the one who purchased most of the gifts for the children that stayed over the holiday, though he would never allow Albus to tell anyone about that. It was the only way he knew to show the children that they were cared about even if they didn't have family to share the holidays with.

Severus drew a deep breath as he watched Sandra begin to open her special gift. He couldn't understand it, and would never admit it, but Sandra had become very special to him. More than any other child ever had, she had made a home in his heart.

He watched as she lifted the lid off the box, then her eyes lit up and bulged out as she saw what lay within. With great care, she gingerly pulled from the box a large brown teddy bear wearing a dark green jumper. Severus saw her eyes fill with tears as she stared into the green glass eyes of the teddy. For a moment, he wasn't sure if she was happy about it or not, until she finally hugged it tightly.

Two sets of eyes, one emerald green, the other sparkling blue, watched Severus sigh, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he took in the sight of Sandra smiling and talking to her new friend.

Severus was surprised by a small package dropping into his lap. He looked up questioningly, but Albus had already retreated to gather more gifts from the house-elves that were assisting him. He raised his eyebrow and snorted at the tag that read, "To: Santa From: Santa." 

His eyes widened as he lifted the lid from the tiny box. Inside, laying on a bed of green tissue was a golden snake pendant. He lifted it carefully out, admiring the detail in every scale as it twisted in an S. On the back, his name was engraved in his own signature.

He looked up into Albus' smiling eyes. As the white haired wizard gave him a wink, Severus gave a small nod of appreciation. He watched as Albus handed Harry his gift and quickly looked away. The lustre of the pendant faded away with his rising nerves. He tried not to, but when he heard Harry gasp, Severus turned just enough to watch the young man's reaction out of the corner of his eyes.

Harry stared into the box, vaguely aware of the stares from everyone around him. Laying among sheets of white silk that looked like clouds, was a gold picture frame. At center of the top was the Gryffindor symbol and along the sides and bottom were lions in various poses. Harry barely noticed any of that, as his eyes remained focused on the couple in the moving picture. Harry's eyes filled with tears even as he smiled down at his parents wedding picture.

Lily stood in front of her new husband, holding his hands at her stomach, leaning her head back against his chest. She smiled serenely at the camera. James stood with his long arms around her, smiling happily as he nuzzled against her neck. They raised their hands together and waved at Harry.

Harry ran his fingers over the picture, which looked as though it might have come from a newspaper. He drew in a shuddering breath as he looked up at Albus. Albus was talking to one of the house-elves, though, and didn't see him. Harry's eyes scanned the room to see the other happy faces and stopped on Severus. 

Severus' eyes shifted away from Harry nervously, and refused to look at him. At first Harry thought perhaps Severus was still upset about their argument the previous night, but as he watched Severus nervously tapping the table, he began to wonder.

'No, it couldn't be from him,' Harry thought. 'Severus hates me... Well, certainly dislikes me enough NOT to give me such a precious gift.'

As Severus' cheeks began turning pink under the weight of Harry's stare, Harry was suddenly positive that the most precious gift he had ever received had come from a man who, by all appearances, didn't even like him. He was very glad about the gift he had chosen for Severus.

Severus looked up with skepticism as Albus approached him with a rather large box. He heard the man's body groan with the effort of setting it gently on the floor in front of him. Severus noticed there was no tag, but there were large holes in the top of the plain brown box that was tied with a red ribbon. He glared at Albus before leaning over to open the ribbon. 

Just as he was about to lift off the cover, it was pushed up slightly by something within. Severus' eyes widened as he heard a faint whine from inside the box. His hands trembled slightly, his eyes narrowed suspiciously, as he lifted the lid slowly. All motion in Severus stopped as he looked down into the happy eyes of a black lab pup.

Severus turned his glare to Hagrid, who was looking at Potter in horror. He looked at Potter in time to see him mouth, "What?" to Hagrid. Severus looked back down at the puppy. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry or scream bloody murder as the children began crowding around him, asking what his name was, who he was from.

"Miss Wilkes, will you take care of him for a moment, please?" Severus asked tersely as he rose from his chair, and moved towards Potter.

"Mr. Potter, a word with you," he said softly, still unsure of his own reaction.

Harry swallowed hard at seeing the anger in Severus' eyes. Perhaps the puppy hadn't been such a great idea. He followed Severus to an archway that led into a smaller room off the main Hall.

"What the hell are you doing?" Severus growled menacingly.

"What's the problem?" Harry returned Severus' anger. "You love puppies!"

"And I wonder just who the hell told you THAT?!"

"No one had to tell me. I found that out all on my own!"

"Mr. Potter, I can NOT have a puppy! That is the most ridiculous-"

"Do you two know where you're standing?" A quiet voice interrupted Severus' tirade. He clenched his jaw and his fists, trying to rein in his anger in front of the little girl.

"Not now, Sandra." 

She was standing in front of them very innocently, the puppy on a string sitting beside her, his tongue hanging out happily. Severus noticed the pendant from Albus hanging around the little dog's neck.

"But, Sir. You're standing under the mistletoe," she said pointing up.

Severus looked up slowly, then closed his eyes and groaned.

"Hmm... She's right," Harry said, looking up at the little sprig of mistletoe attached to the top of the arch they were standing under. As Severus growled at him, Harry leaned in and whispered in his ear, loud enough for Sandra to hear, "Are you really going to deny a Christmas tradition in front of the children?"

Harry pulled back and looked into Severus' confused eyes. Severus opened his mouth to say something, but Harry quickly cut him off by grabbing the man's neck to pull him down and placing his mouth over Severus'. 

Severus' eyes stayed open in shock for a brief moment before drifting closed as Harry's tongue played over his own. His hands moved without his mind to Harry's waist, drawing him in closer. He was still reeling from the kiss as Harry finally pulled away. He didn't open his eyes until he heard Sandra giggling next to him and the pup jumped and barked happily against his leg.

He looked down at her bright face and watched the puppy run in happy circles around them. His eyes flickered over to Harry's and got lost in the emeralds shining back at him.

"What a beautiful family," Albus said, his eyes sparkling with mirth and happiness. Severus' eyes shifted to him. At first he looked confused, but as the words sunk in, Severus began to smile.

"Family..." Severus whispered to himself before turning back to Harry. He swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed in his throat before speaking again. "How about it, Mr. Potter? Care to adopt a sweet little girl I know... and a grumpy old Potions teacher?"

Harry's eyes misted over and his heart fluttered wildly in his chest as he stared at the man he had loved for a long time. "Yes," he said very softly.

Severus felt his own eyes dampen as he looked down at Sandra. "What about you?"

She smiled and held her arms up to him. Severus knelt down and gathered her into his arms. He tightened his hold on her when he felt Harry's arms wrap around them both.

The little black puppy began barking and jump on them, causing all three to laugh. Severus reached out and patted his head affectionately.

"Yes, you're part of the family, too!" 

As Harry and Sandra began petting the dog, too, Severus looked up into the twinkling blue eyes of his dear friend. He shook his head, still smiling as he muttered, "Meddling old fool."

Albus Dumbledore laughed whole heartedly as he left the new family, returning to the rest of the staff and students to finish out the Christmas celebrations. He knew it wouldn't always be so easy, but it was a fantastic start for all of them. It would be difficult, but he had faith that they would work things out and continue the celebrations for the rest of their lives.


End file.
